King James: His Crown Forever Tarnished!

In ancient times there was a young king that rejected the counsel of older men and followed the advice of his youthful contemporaries. His decision had disastrous effects for his kingdom and kingship. He never recovered from his costly decision. His reign was marked with terror and rebellion.

Another king of modern times has followed the same course of action. He acted against the judgment of mature ones and followed the advice of the young and inexperienced. His "brand" is forever damaged. His iconic image is forever tarnished. I don't know if he can ever recover. 

LeBron James "had it all," and yet he let it get away. He had the respect and admiration of a myriad of followers. But today, it's just not the same.

Very few are still loyal to his "kingship." His avid fans may be concentrated in south Florida now; but how long will it be before they also turn on him? With continued sub-par performances like this past NBA Finals, it probably won't be too long.

James as a native son of the great state of Ohio had such value. You might say he was Ohio's greatest natural resource. When the governor goes as far as to make a public proclamation honoring the team that put LeBron in his place, you know it's a very serious matter. The Dallas Mavericks have been given their day of special recognition in Ohio. Ohioans will never forgive LeBron for leaving the Buckeye State. Dallas is a hero for humbling the mighty king and the Miami Heat.

His former teammates from Cleveland tweeted and basked in his defeat. 

Wait a minute. Aren't we being somewhat harsh? As a free agent, didn't LeBron have the right to pick and choose where he wanted to play basketball? Yes, he did, but consider this: LeBron is not the first to make a bad decision and he won't be the last. 

There are plenty of elite players that if they had it to do all over again they may have done things a little differently. They would have made the sacrifices to win championships. It takes sacrifice to win championships.

The Mavericks demonstrated that no matter how great one player is basketball is still a team sport. It takes a team to win championships.  

No one can question LeBron's talent and ability: it's off the charts. He is undoubtedly the one player you could place on any team in the league and they would immediately become a contender.

However, what about that thing that ticks inside his chest cavity? Where is his heart? What is his will? He needs to answer that question.

Dirk Nowitzki waited 13 years to win his first championship. Jason Kidd waited 17 years. Why was LeBron so anxious after just seven years in the league.

Championships do not validate you as a basketball immortal. However, your performance in crunch time does. Dirk didn't have a tremendous game in Game 6. However, he didn't hesitate to play his game. He was going down firing if he had to. Every chamber in his gun would be empty.  He was leading his team and if he faltered Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and others would pick up the slack. 

Dallas would not be denied.

LeBron is still growing and maturing as a player. It may take another few years to get his championship.  However, any championship he wins will pale in comparison to a championship won in Cleveland. The Cavaliers were his team; Cleveland was his city. At one time he was "the man". Today, he is the villain.

Can his image change?  Maybe...I don't know. Time will tell. 

Who knows? Maybe he'll pull a Jason Kidd and go back to the city that loved him. After all, they love him once. Maybe they can love him again.